Canon has announced a new version of its C300 cinematic camcorder.
The C300 Mark III shares the same body as the C500 full-frame camcorder, but uses a newly designed, Super 35mm sensor.
Canon claims over 16 stops of dynamic range for the new camera, as well as higher frame rates. Canon had lagged behind rival manufacturers for slo-mo recording, but the C300 Mark III addresse this with 120P recording in 4K Cinema Raw Light and XF-AVC. A 2K crop mode supports frame rates from 12fps to 180 fps. This is supported by a dedicated Slow and Fast button.
The new camcorder uses a technology Canon calls Dual Gain Output (DGO). The camera reads the sensor at two gain levels, one high, one low. The data are combined to give cleaner shadows and more detailed highlights.
The C300 Mark III supports 4K, 10 bit 4:2:2 in UHD and DCI, recorded in XF-AVC. This is in addition to Cinema Raw Light, in 10 or 12 bit. HD and 2K footage is downsampled from the 4K sensor. Recording is to CFExpress cards.
The new model keeps Canon’s popular Dual Pixel CMOS AF focus system. Users can also switch between EF, PL and EF Cinema Lock lens mounts without sending the camera to Canon. The camera also adds 5-axis in body stabilisation.
The C300 Mark III is also modular, with Canon offering two expansion units, the EU-V1 and EU-V2. The EU-VI adds genlock, a remote port and Ethernet as well as power for servo lenses; the EU-V2 adds those ports plus two additional XLR inputs and a V-mount plate. These units are also compatible with the C500 mkii.
The C300 Mark III will be avialble from July at a cost of £10,499.99.
Canon also announced the CN10x25, a 10x cinema zoom lens with a built-in 1.5x extender. This is expected to cost around £25,000 when it goes on sale in July.
